mastermind

A classic game of logic. There are many variations, and even two different versions of the original game (original and Super Mastermind), but the essence of the game is this:

A codemaker makes a secret code which consists of a sequence (usually 4 or 5) entries; each entry is one of several possible choices (the original game used colored pegs). The codemaker may be a computer in some versions. A guesser tries to guess the code; after each guess, the codemaker tells how many entries the guesser got correct and in the right position, and how many more additional entries the guesser has right but in the wrong positions.

The object is for the guesser to guess the code in as few tries as possible; if played competitively, the codemaker and guesser switch roles and the player to guess the code in fewer chances wins.

It is permissible for the code to have repeated entries, although you may play with an agreement not to use such codes, for an easier game. The responses can be harder to interpret with fewer codes; a repeated entry only counts twice in the response if the guesser chose that entry twice as well.

A villain published by Marvel Comics. Mastermind first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #4.

Jason Wyndgarde's early life has never been revealed. He was working as a mentalist in a small circus when he was approached by the mutant leader Magneto to become part of his band of mutants known as the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Wyndgarde was a mutant with the ability to create realistic illusions.Wyndgarde joined with Magneto and the rest of the Brotherhood. They fought the students of Professor Charles Xavier, a group of mutants known as the X-Men. Magneto's group always met with defeat in the end.

Wyndgarde was not content with the Brotherhood, however and broke ties with joining another group bent on world domination Factor Three. When the leader of the group, Mutantmaster, is revealed to be an alien bent on the destruction of Earth, the group is forced to aid the X-Men in defeating him.

Mastermind disappeared for a time during which he was offered membership in the exclusive Hellfire Club. To prove his worth to become a member of the Inner Circle, Mastermind instigated a plan to get the X-Men member, Jean Grey to join the Inner Circle as their Black Queen or her own free will. To this end, he acquired from Emma Frost, the Hellfire Club's White Queen and a mutant telepath, a device that would allow Mastermind to project illusions into Jean Grey's mind. Unbeknownst to him, Jean Grey had been replaced by the cosmic entity known as Phoenix. Mastermind began to cast illusions that Jean Grey/Phoenix was in the 18th century with him as her true love. Eventually, through his efforts, Phoenix was seduced and became the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club.

The corruption of Phoenix however took a nasty turn causing her to become Dark Phoenix, a force of immense power and evil. Dark Phoenix broke Wyndgarde's hold on her and caused him to see the vastness of the universe. Wyndgarde's mind was unable to cope with the images and he slipped into a catatonic state.

Years later, Wyndgarde awoke from his coma and sought revenge against the X-Men for his trouble. He first caused Mariko Yashida, the fiance of Logan, the X-man Wolverine, to call off their wedding at the altar. Later, he tried to convince Cyclops, the leader of the X-Men, that his wife Madelyne Pryor was Dark Phoenix. He was discovered and defeated.

When the Legacy Virus, an illness that struck mutants, was spreading, Wyndgarde became one of its victims dying from the virus.